Luna. Chapter 117

(Lyra's POV)

"Mama, why do you look sad?"

I looked up from the breakfast I was barely eating to find Asher studying my face with concern.

"I'm not sad, baby. Just thinking."

"About Daddy coming home today?"

"Among other things."

"Are you worried he'll change his mind?"

The perception of my four-year-old never failed to amaze me.

"A little," I admitted.

Asher climbed down from his chair and came to lean against my leg.

"He won't change his mind. He loves us too much."

"How do you know?"

"Because he gets the same face you get when you look at me. The love face."

The love face. Trust Asher to have a term for it.

"What does the love face look like?"

"Soft and happy and scared at the same time. Like you can't believe something so good is real."

That was... remarkably accurate.

"You're very wise for someone who's not even five."

"I know lots of things. Like how Daddy was sad before he found us again."

"How do you know that?"

"I could feel it. When he was watching us from far away, before he started visiting. He felt lonely."

"He was watching us?"

"Sometimes. In the woods. I always knew he was there."

This was news to me. "How long has this been going on?"

"Months and months. Since before Magnus moved away."

"And you never said anything?"

Asher shrugged. "You were sad too. I thought maybe you needed time to not be mad at each other."

My son had been quietly managing the adults in his life, protecting everyone's feelings while they figured out their own drama.

"I'm sorry you had to worry about grown-up problems."

"It's okay. That's what families do. They worry about each other."

"Yes, they do."

"And now we don't have to worry anymore because we're all going to live together."

If only it were that simple. But Asher's confidence was infectious.

"Are you excited about Daddy moving in?"

"So excited I could explode!" He demonstrated by spinning in a circle with his arms outstretched. "We're going to do daddy-son things every day!"

"What kind of daddy-son things?"

"Building things and fixing things and teaching me about trucks and maybe camping!"

"That sounds wonderful."

"Will you come camping with us?"

"If you want me to."

"Of course I want you to! We're a family. Families do everything together."

The pure joy in his voice made my eyes misty. This was what Asher had been longing for without knowing how to express it. A complete family unit where everyone belonged together.

"Mama, are you crying?"

"Happy tears, baby. Just happy tears."

My phone buzzed with a text from Kael.

Packing up the last of my things. Should be there by noon.

Do you need help?

I've got it handled. But thank you for asking.

Are you sure about this? Leaving everything behind?

I'm not leaving everything behind. I'm taking everything that matters with me.

Kael...

Stop overthinking this, Lyra. We're going to be happy.

What if—

No what-ifs. Just trust me. Trust us.

He was right. I was spiraling into anxiety about all the things that could go wrong instead of focusing on all the things that could go right.

"Is Daddy coming soon?" Asher asked, reading my face.

"Soon. He's packing up his house."

"All of it?"

"Well, the things he wants to keep."

"What about the things he doesn't want?"

"I guess he'll leave them behind."

"That's sad. Things shouldn't be left behind."

"Sometimes leaving things behind is necessary to make room for new things."

Asher considered this seriously. "Like how I had to put away some of my baby toys to make room for big-kid toys?"

"Exactly like that."

"Okay. That makes sense."

We spent the morning preparing for Kael's arrival. Asher insisted on cleaning his room again and organizing his toys so he could show Daddy everything properly. I found myself doing unnecessary tasks like reorganizing the kitchen cabinets and alphabetizing the books.

Nervous energy.

Elena found me scrubbing the already-clean bathroom at eleven o'clock.

"Ms. Lyra, perhaps you should sit down and relax?"

"I need to keep busy."

"You need to breathe. Mr. Kael is moving in, not conducting a white-glove inspection."

"I know. I just want everything to be perfect."

"It already is perfect. You have love, you have family, you have a beautiful home to share. What more perfection do you need?"

She was right, but I couldn't seem to stop myself from finding things to clean or organize.

At 11:45, Asher stationed himself by the front window to watch for Kael's truck.

"I see him! I see him! He's here!"

My heart started pounding as I heard the truck door slam. This was it. The moment everything changed.

Asher threw open the front door before Kael could knock.

"Daddy! You came back!"

"Of course I came back. I promised I would."

Kael scooped Asher up for a hug, and I watched from the hallway, suddenly shy.

"Where are all your things?" Asher asked, looking past Kael to the truck.

"In the truck. Want to help me carry them in?"

"Yes! I'm an excellent helper!"

They went outside together, and I stood in my entryway feeling surreal about the whole situation.

Kael was moving in. This was really happening.

When they came back carrying boxes, Kael stopped in front of me.

"Hi."

"Hi yourself."

"So this is happening."

"Apparently so."

"Having second thoughts?"

I considered lying, but decided honesty was probably the better policy if we were going to live together.

"Third and fourth thoughts. But not changing my mind."

"Good. Because I already turned in the keys to my place."

"You what?"

"Burned my bridges. No going back now."

The finality of it should have terrified me. Instead, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

"No going back," I agreed.

"Daddy, where do you want to sleep?" Asher asked, bouncing with excitement.

Kael and I looked at each other. We hadn't actually discussed sleeping arrangements.

"Well," I said carefully, "Daddy will probably want his own space while we all adjust to living together."

"His own space?" Asher looked confused. "But mamas and daddies sleep together. That's how families work."

Out of the mouths of babes.

"Sometimes adults need time to—" I started.

"I'd like to sleep with your mama, if that's okay with both of you," Kael interrupted quietly.

Heat flooded my face. "Kael."

"What? We're adults, we love each other, and we're committed to building a life together. Sleeping in separate rooms seems counterproductive."

"But what if—"

"Mama," Asher interrupted with exaggerated patience, "you're doing the worried face again."

Both Kael and Asher were looking at me with identical expressions of fond exasperation.

"Fine. We'll share a room. But you're taking responsibility for explaining the birds and the bees when he starts asking questions."

"Deal," Kael said immediately.

"What are the birds and the bees?" Asher asked.

"Something we'll discuss when you're older," I said quickly.

"How much older?"

"Much older."

"Like when I'm five?"

"Like when you're twenty-five."

Asher wrinkled his nose. "That's forever away."

"Exactly."

Kael was trying not to laugh, which made me want to hit him and kiss him in equal measure.

"Come on," I said, taking charge. "Let's get your things upstairs."

It took three trips to move everything from the truck. Kael had packed light, bringing only the essentials. Clothes, personal items, a few pieces of furniture.

"This is everything?" I asked as we stood in our bedroom, surrounded by boxes.

"This is everything that matters. The rest was just stuff."

"But what about your books? Your artwork? All those things that made your house feel like home?"

"Lyra, you are my home. Where you are is where I belong."

The simple truth of it took my breath away.

"I love you," I said, because it was the only response that felt adequate.

"I love you too. And I love our son. And I love that we're finally going to build the life we should have had all along."

From downstairs came the sound of Asher playing with his trucks, making engine noises and narrating elaborate adventures.

"It's going to be different," I said. "Having someone else here all the time."

"Good different or bad different?"

"I don't know yet. Different different."

"We'll figure it out as we go."

"What if we drive each other crazy?"

"Then we'll find ways to manage the crazy. People do it all the time."

"What if you get tired of domestic life? What if you miss being an independent Alpha?"

Kael cupped my face in his hands. "Lyra, listen to me. I spent four years as an independent Alpha. I was miserable. I was empty. I was going through the motions of living without actually living."

"But—"

"No buts. This, here, with you and Asher, this is the only life I want. The only life that makes sense."

"You say that now."

"I'll say it every day for the rest of our lives if that's what it takes to convince you."

I searched his eyes, looking for any hint of doubt or reservation. All I found was certainty.

"Okay," I said quietly.

"Okay?"

"Okay, I believe you. Okay, let's do this. Okay, welcome home."

He kissed me then, soft and sweet and full of promise.

"Thank you," he whispered against my lips.

"For what?"

"For trusting me. For giving us another chance. For letting me come home."

Home. That's what this was, what we were building together.

A family. A life. A future.

"Come on," I said, pulling away reluctantly. "Let's go unpack your things. Make space for you in our life."

"Our life," he repeated, like he was testing out the words.

"Our life," I confirmed.

And for the first time since he'd walked back into our lives, it felt completely real.

We were going to be okay. More than okay.

We were going to be happy.